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A-England Ballerina Collection

March 24, 2014
A-England, Holos, Nailpolish, Obsessed
14 Comments

Each time that A-England’s creator teases us with hints of a new collection, Adina’s eager fans wait with baited breath for what will be unveiled. The incredible formulas, the colours, the historic inspirations behind each collection…  Many of us have become devotees of the brand! And today I have for you the gorgeous Ballerina collection. (For inspiration details, head over to Ommorphia’s launch post.)

A-England’s Ballerina is a collection of four beautiful, delicate holographic polishes in whisper-soft colours. The collection immediately reminded me of the tulle on dancers’ skirts… how perfect!

aengland_Ballerina_Coll

The first shade, and probably my favourite of the four (though it’s nearly impossible to pick a favourite) is Fonteyn. Fonteyn is a lavender-tinged silver holo with a formula so perfect, so divine, that it was a one-coater. It applied with buttery perfection, fully opaque on the first coat, and drying quickly to an incredible shine. (If you own any A-Englands, you’ll know that this brand is renowned for its high-shine finish!) Here is Fonteyn without top coat:

aengland_Ba_FonteynFull sun

aengland_Ba_Fonteyn2In the shade

 

Dancing with Nureyev is blue-purple holographic with a metallic finish that almost changes colour depending on the light. It is a little more indigo in some light, then a little more purple, but always demure.

I paired Fonteyn with Dancing with Nureyev for a subtle holo gradient:

aengland_Ba_Fonteyn_Nureyev_grdt

And two coats of the gorgeous Dancing with Nureyev, no top coat:

aengland_Ba_NureyevFull sun

aengland_Ba_Nureyev2In the shade

I had to include a macro of Dancing with Nureyev because it is so beautiful:

aengland_Ba_Nureyev_macro

Encore Margot is described as an “icy blue prismatic hue,” a pale-silver holographic that dries to a cool dove grey shade. The holo effect on Encore Margot appears a little softer than that of Fonteyn or Dancing with Nureyev, but the effect is breathtaking. Another amazing formula, a little more fluid than Fonteyn, requiring two easy coats. Below, without top coat:

aengland_Ba_EncoreMargotFull sun

aengland_Ba_EncoreMargot2In the Shade

 

Finally, Her Rose Adagio, a delicate soft pink holo described as “faded roses in a silver prismatic base, as romantic as it is ‘en pointe’.” Possessing a similar soft holo and formula like Encore Margot, I used two coats for the photos below:

aengland_Ba_HerRoseAdagioFull sun

aengland_Ba_HerRoseAdagio2In the shade

 

What always stands out for me is A-England’s incredible glossy finish, and its beauty whether in sunlight or in the shade. These colours are so demure and perfect, so aptly named that it is impossible not to fall in love…

 

A-England is available directly from their website for those in the UK, or from several stockists this side of the pond (check out Where to buy), including Nail Polish Canada (with free shipping within Canada!). Don’t forget to follow A-England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and Nail Polish Canada on Facebook and Twitter!

Have you tried any of the Ballerina shades, and which one is your favourite so far?

If you liked this post, please take a moment to ‘like’ this post and/or comment! I love to read what you think.

~xo

 

 

(Product provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

 

 

 

OPI Brazil Nudes

February 26, 2014
Nail Art, Nailpolish, Obsessed, OPI
10 Comments

I was so excited about OPI’s Brazil Collection that launched for Spring/Summer this year… those bright corals, pinks, red… but when I saw the nude selection of this collection… *thud*
If you are a neutral palette lover like me, you will literally want to stop reading, grab your wallet, and run to the nearest OPI salon. Seriously.

This collection immediately struck me as a home run, just like last year’s Euro Centrale collection. Ranging from brights to mocha to a deep green, there is something for every polish lover, and FIVE of the collection’s 12 shades are neutrals. That’s almost HALF the collection in neutral shades, with 3 of them being shades of nude. I am totally in love!

I decided to use the four creme earthy tones in an ombré manicure because they looked so beautiful together. All four of these cremes have a similar, warm-pink-toned base, making them not only gorgeous, but perfect complements to one another! And the formula? Perfection!!! No streaking, not even on the lightest shade Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around. Drytime was amazing too, even pre-topcoat.

OPI_Brazil_Nudes_btl

My ombré manicure consisted of the lightest shade in this collection, and about to become another nude favourite OPI of mine (next to My Vampire is Buff), Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around; Taupe-less Beach, a gorgeous greyed taupe a few shades darker than the lightest; I São Paulo Over There, yet a few more shades darker than the previous colour and a mid-toned greyed mocha; and finally, OPI Scores a Goal, a rich chocolate creme (L to R in all pictures).

OPI_Brazil_Nudes_ombre2Above, in the shade

OPI_Brazil_Nudes_ombreIn full sun

Brazil by OPI is now available in both nail lacquer and GelColor formulas!

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

What do you think of my ombré mani?

If you liked this post, please take a moment to ‘like’ this post and/or comment! I love to read your comments.

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Zoya Naturel Collection Review

February 19, 2014
Nail Art, Nailpolish, Obsessed, Zoya
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At the beginning of the year, Zoya launched a beautiful set of nudes, ranging in shade from ivory to a chocolate milk shade in their Naturel Collection. What’s there not to love! Six new full-coverage shades of complementary neutrals with a pink undertone so they can be worn alone or together for slight tonal accents.

Zoya_Naturel_btls

The lightest shade in the collection is Chantal, described as a French Vanilla creme by Zoya. A perfect description! Often shades this light or white-based can be a bit streaky, but Chantal did not streak and needed only two coats for great coverage. You could add a third coat if you felt compelled, but I loved it at two. Below it is with only base coat and 2 coats of Chantal – no top coat, and look at that shine!

Zoya_naturel_ChantalChantal leaned a bit lighter than nude due to my olive complexion, but as you can see, still extremely flattering. It has a slight peach undertone and I feel that it would suit almost any complexion.

Seeing how well the shades coordinate, I tipped Chantal with the darkest shade for a gorgeous contrast – Chantal with a French tip of Normani:

Zoya_Naturel_Chantal_Normani

A slight step up from Chantal is Taylor, described as a light toffee creme shade. I found Taylor to be more of a yellow-based nude. This one reminded me of a yummy café au lait… and again, I loved it on me. It may not be as versatile to pinkish skintones as Chantal though. Again, two coats were perfect but you could easily apply three thin coats. Below, 2 coats, no top coat:

Zoya_naturel_Taylor

One of the mid-tone shades is Rue, described as a Boudoir Blush Cream. Rue reminded me of a soft rose satin camisole… very romantic, very pretty, and a colour for almost any skintone. Application was a breeze with 2 coats and no top coat:

Zoya_Naturel_Rue

Just a touch darker is Brigitte, described as a Bombshell Mauve Cream (how sexy is that description!). Another beauty and a pink-y mauve. Two coats paired with a French tip of Chantal below (look at that shine):

Zoya_Naturel_Brigitte_ChantalI love these two together!

Odette jumps quite a few tones to a dusty purplish shade, described as a Sultry Maroon Cream. This formula was classic Zoya – thicker than the lighter shades of this collection, self-levelling, beautiful and drying to an incredible shine! Two coats below:

Zoya_Naturel_Odette

Odette strikes me as dustier version of OPI’s I’m Feeling Sashy, non?

OPI_MU_ImFeelingSashy2

And finally, we have Normani, a Sable Mauve Cream (I really love these Zoya descriptions!), a cool, dusty, greyed-mocha with a mauve undertone. I absolutely love Normani! Formula-wise it was exactly like Odette. Two coats below, no top coat, and look at that crazy shine:

Zoya_naturel_Normani

I think it’s pretty clear how I feel about this collection… totally obsessed and loving every shade! Not only are these colours on-trend and gorgeous, but they are highly office-appropriate, even when paired in soft nail art like the French manicures I’ve shown. And Zoya’s formula is divine. I think these will be added to my go-to Zoya stash that includes Natty, Sailor, Rockie, Josie… the list goes on…

Find the Zoya Naturel Nail Polish Collection and over 300 stunning BIG5FREE* Zoya colors on www.zoya.com. Each and every color has a name as unique as the women who inspired it.

*Formula is completely free of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate, toluene and camphor.

ZOYA IS THE NATUREL COLOR OF FASHION!
$9.00 ea. (US)

Which one is your favourite shade?

If you liked this post, please take a moment to ‘like’ this post or comment! I love to read what you think. 🙂

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Zoya Caitlin

June 30, 2013
Nail Art, Nailpolish, Obsessed, Zoya
11 Comments

Zoya Caitlin was one of the polishes I had my eye on for months… and kept convincing myself that I did not need. But it is a “greige” beauty, and I am sucker for anything grey!! Described by Zoya as a “smoky purple-tinged medium gray with smooth, opaque creme finish,” it truly is, a “sultry, mysterious and impossibly chic” shade. It is so chic, it was even suggested to be Michelle Obama’s nail polish at the Democratic National Convention in 2012!

Well needless to say, I finally buckled and brought Caitlin home.

Here are two gorgeous, easily applied, self-levelling coats of Caitlin:

Zoya_Caitlin

Chic, work-appropriate and suitable to any skin colour, this grey-lavender beauty is one of those essentials that you need in your polish lineup!

After wearing Caitlin for a couple of days (and loving it!), I decided to add a quick French tip using Zoya Natty:

Zoya_CaitlinNattyFrench1

Zoya Natty is a smokey deep steel blue cream; gorgeous and shiny like all my Zoyas are!

Natty and Catlin are such gorgeous moody shades, non-season-specific and versatile. Caitlin makes a perfect palate cleanser if you’re tired of brights or glitters – neutral without being boring. And Natty is a highly-wearable blue shade with its steely base.

Do I love? I am obsessed!

What do you think of the coloured French mani look?

Get your Natty and Caitlin online from Zoya if you’re in the US, or via Nail Polish Canada. Don’t forget to follow Zoya on Facebook and on Twitter for the latest!

~xo

Smitten Polish Berrydrops

June 7, 2013
Jelly, Nailpolish, Obsessed, Smitten Polish
1 Comment

Today I have for you another amazing indie brand that has consistently created beautiful polishes and has an awesome creator, Smitten Polish! I previously reviewed Smitten’s Fall collection, and today I am excited to share some of Smitten’s Berrydrops collection!

First up, Bananaberry Gumdrop, a beautiful pale yellow crelly base with subtle flakies. I adore yellow, and yellow can be a pain when it comes to polish; a pain to find a good yellow, a pain to find a good polish, and a pain to apply. But Bananaberry Gumdrop is perfection. It is such a pretty pale yellow that I suspect it would look great on many skintones. And it is such a springy, summery, buttery yellow that I fell in love! It wasn’t as tricky as I thought it could be to apply… I applied a coat over base, let it dry, and applied a second coat.

Smitten_BananaberryGmdrp

Is that not like a banana pudding?? Delicious and shiny! I love it!

 

The second polish is Beautyberry Gumdrop, a sweet-looking lavender crelly with subtle flakies. What can I say but demure, pretty, subtle, ladylike. I wore this one for a few days and loved it every moment. Again, two coats over base coat, this one, with top coat:

Smitten_BeautyberryGmdrp

 

What I love most about the Berrydrops is their subtleness. You’ve probably read occasionally about my hesitance to wear crazy polishes to work, and these are absolutely work-appropriate without being boring!

The only downside, if I have to find one, is that the flakies can be sticky during removal, so you may need to scrub a little. Nothing like removing glitter though!

Have you tried any Smitten Polishes, and which one do you love most?

Smitten Polish is available on their Etsy store or from Llarowe.  Don’t forget to follow Smitten Polish on Facebook for the latest news and previews!!

~xo

 

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

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